The event generated 51 games played during its second year
in the Grognard format. Modification of the standard format was
made to enable games at each complexity level to be treated as
different games played between same opponents. Repeated play
of the same opponents at the same level generated only one point
per player, but served the purpose of generating bragging rights
and AREA points for each. For many players, game play capability
changed at each level of the SQL series. Eugene Ricco achieved
'Berserker' status for the second straight year by being the
only player who continuously stayed in the Grognard room to play
as many Squad Leader games as possible. The different
games level yielded 33 SQL matches, 14 at COI level, and four
for COD.

Squad Leader started slowly since only four players arrived
for the pre-con. However, the number increased each day, culminating
with 20 games played on Friday. There were stories of the dice
taking the game in some instances, but the real wins were from
the solid tactics used by each player. In early week game play,
Riccio's Germans swarmed Bill Sosnicki's Russians in the SQL
#2 "The Tractor Works" scenario and Paul Milton's Germans
repulsed Bill Scott's American attack in WGA Eviction Notice.

After a week of play, four players stood atop the pack. Although
the records varied, it is a matter of who you defeated in the
Grognard scoring system. Seeding was clarified as #1 fiur-time
champ Pete Pollard (68 points), #2 two-time champ Eric Stranger
(50), Chuck Leonard and #4 defending champ Andrew Cummins (48).

The first semi-final game matched Pollard's Russians defending
the high ground against Cummins' in the COI scenario "King
of the Hill". It did not look good for Andrew's troops in
the early going. A Russian squad went berserk and held back one
side of his advance while his best anti-tank weapon, a PzJg II,
malfunctioned. By mid-game though, lady luck had changed suitors.
Pete's leaders were leaving him, literally. His commissar left
the battlefield a coward, while his best leader went berserk
and charged a pack of waiting guns with the expected result.
The fighting went back and forth for the last victory hex with
the Germans advancing onto it while others took out the T-34
with a demo charge. With only infantry for a counterattack, Pete's
forces could not dislodge the Germans from the hill and Andrew
advanced to the Final to defend his title.

Stranger's Germans defended the hill in SQL "Tooth and Nail"
against Leonard's Russian advance. Eric's left flank broke under
the onslaught while his right held with one squad manning a medium
machine gun, keeping the Russians at bay. Chuck brought up his
T-34's to pointblank range on the German force but the Germans
held their ground until reinforcements arrived to deny Chuck
and send Eric to the Final where a pair of two-time champions
would battle for their third title.

The last game was the SQL "Eviction Notice" with Eric
defending with the Germans and Andrew's US troops on the offensive.
Eric took an aggressive set up with many of his forces ahead
of the central victory location, a multi-hex stone building on
board 3. His goal was to slow down the American advance long
enough for reinforcements to arrive. However, Andrew's forces
were mobile and he used this to his advantage. He pinned down
much of Eric's screening force and swung behind them to quickly
seize the victory location. Eric's anti-tank gun destroyed one
of the US tanks, but it was not enough. Now Eric found his defense
role change as he had to mount a counterattack to take back the
objective and it proved to be a task for which they were not
well suited as Andrew emerged triumphant

The Best Personal Leader Counter extracurricular competition
remained entertaining. The main change for this year's competition
was that a PLC could only be used once per day and throughout
the event the PLC points could only be gained in four matches.

Pete Pollard's PLC was dispatched early in the week by Cummins's
German attack in COI Nicemi-Biscari Highway. In so doing, Andrew
thus earned his second plaque in the event, the 'Pollard Memorial'
plaque for eliminating the previous year's PLC winner. Many other
PLCs shared the same fate, leaving only a few to earn this year's
plaque. Two were in the running for the PLC plaque going into
the last day of play. Scott Brantley earned a promotion for his
leader by beating John Sharp in the SQL scenario "Hasty
Assault" but it wasn't enough. Eric Stranger's PLC steadily
climbed the 'corporate ladder' to earn the best performance for
the event. It started in a match as the German player in SQL
"Russia 1941" and quickly earned a promotion as the
Russians against Sharp in "Guards Counterattack". His
best day actually came in defeat during the Final. Somehow his
leader survived to fight another day and gained some companion
wood for his second place plaque.